Painting Nature.
Click to view each image more closely.
In the Scottish Highlands you're never too far away from nature. Walking through would the woods you are greeted with all sorts of sights, textures, sounds and smells. Its a feast for the senses and a simple walk in the woods can be very therapeutic.
Nature is a form of inspiration in many facets of life including fantasy illustration and fairy tales. In the summer time the woods are bursting with signs of life. Trees, plants and moss grow in every green imaginable. Birds song echoes high through the trees on warm breezes and rays of sunshine. Buzy bugs and creepy crawlies work up a frenzy to take advantage of the new growth of opportunity. Spiders hide by threads of invisible silk and wait...
I painted a small series of images of Littleburn Woods. I gathered scraps of cardboard from old wine boxes and drawing pads and applied layers of gesso to create a surface suitable for painting. I was interested in illustrations by Steve Purcell. Using acrylic paint I aimed to replicate this style of painting. Each image was painted overnight. I started by painting a dark layer of paint as if it was wet earth undergound. Then with varying hue and brightness I painted the forms, light, shadow and texture.